Maura Weis working on a better tomorrow

Fundraisers, farm planned for those with different needs.

Fundraisers, farm planned for those with different needs.

August 15, 2006|CHRIS BANKOWSKI Tribune Correspondent

GRANGER Maura Weis would not be where she is today if it were not for her friends back in New Jersey. Maura was at a restaurant there one evening when a guy named Charlie came over to talk with her and her friends. Two days later, when the group went out again, her friends were very frank with her, Maura said. "My friends said that Charlie liked me, and that I had to date him," she said. So she did, even though she wasn't so certain it was the right move. "I really couldn't see myself with Charlie because of him being in football," Maura said in a recent interview in her home. When she saw how faithful Charlie was, she changed her mind about him. They've been married 14 years. "He thanks God for everything," Maura said. "I thought to myself that I could be with this guy." Charlie's faith in God has rubbed off on her over the years. For example, she sees their 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, who has, as her mother puts it, "different needs," as a gift from God. Hannah suffers from global developmental delay, a disorder similar to autism that affects her motor skills and communication. "I am honored that God gave me Hannah to take care of," Maura said. (The Weises also have a teenage son, Charlie Jr.) In addition to their strong faith, the whole idea of family has been enriched with the Weises' move from Boston and the NFL's New England Patriots to college football and Notre Dame. "Notre Dame stands for family, and I like that," she said. Maura is very happy that her husband took the head coaching job at Notre Dame, for both her and her daughter's benefit. She knows Charlie has many fans here, and she has one thing to say about that. "I'm his No. 1 fan," she said with a glowing smile. Hannah's smile in a picture with her mother on the Hannah & Friends Web site shows clearly that Hannah feels the same way about Maura. It goes both ways, Maura said. "I believe that Hannah and I were meant to be together," she said. In a few weeks, her husband will begin his second season as the play caller and head coach of the Notre Dame football team. Maura will begin another season as his cheerleader. Likewise, Maura continues her job calling the plays for both her daughter and the charity named in Hannah's honor. Charlie will continue to be the cheerleader for her. As is the case with her husband, Maura is in the spotlight often, but she does not mind it a bit. "I think God has given me this opportunity, and so I had to take it," she said. She knows that doing even the littlest things will help Hannah and other people with "different needs" live as normal a life as possible. In her mother's eyes, Hannah, whose favorite phrase to say is "Go Irish," is very normal. "Hannah has more people skills than many people have," she said. The Weises have set a goal to help other people with "different needs" in the future. With this in mind, Hannah & Friends will fund a farm to be built as a residential community where individuals with "different needs" will learn to live independently. The original plan was to build the community on land in South Carolina. However, the new plan is to bring everything to the Michiana area and build everything here. An exact location is not yet known. It will consist of a recreational center, three to four residential homes and the main farm, which will provide jobs for residents. In addition to that, a golf tournament to benefit Hannah and Friends, played in South Carolina this year, will be moved to Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course starting next year. The golf tournament did very well this year. "We have raised over $1 million in endowment," Maura said. She also said a dinner similar to the one held recently at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which raised over $1 million for charity, will be held in Los Angeles next year. The specifics of the dinner are being finalized. Further, a St. Patrick's Day dinner is in the works for next year. According to Maura, this dinner will take place at the New York Athletic Club. Proceeds will go to Hannah and Friends. Maura's vision for her daughter's future is simple. "I want to see Hannah live a good life," she said. "That is my wish for all people with different needs."